WV DHHR Taking Strides to Regulate Passenger Vans

The Associated Press released an article today about the Department of Health and Human Resources's new initiatives for passenger van use at daycares.

You can find the article in today's Charleston Gazette online by going here.

Additionally, I pulled up the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's information on 15 passenger vans, and you can find that here.

STOP Honors Highway Safety Advocates

The Safe Traffic Operations Program, located in Huntington, held a recognition luncheon Tuesday, December 9th at the Funny Bone Restaurant. Larry Kendall, program coordinator for STOP, wanted to hold the luncheon to celebrate 21 years of implementing highway safety initiatives in the area.

Over 70 certificates were distributed, honoring those who are still active in the program, and those who have made an impact over the last 21 years. Kendall said, "Every one of these recipients are exceptional people and I am proud to work with them".

Representatives from the Governor's Highway Safety Program state office were there, as well as law enforcement, representatives from the Alcohol and Beverage Control Administration, the Commission on Drunk Driving Prevention, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and local dignitaries.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Announces 72 Top Safety Pick Awards

72 vehicles, model year 2009, earned the Insurance Institute's highest ratings for safety, according to the Institute's press release found here. That number is more than double the number of 2008 "Top Picks", and triple the number from 2007.

A Friendly Reminder:-)

Have a Happy, SAFE Thanksgiving!:-)

I have sent out several well wishes via e-mail or through phone calls, and after working for Highway Safety for almost seven years, I now include the word "safe" in my greetings-it's just second nature to me.

So, please remember to be safe this Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with friends and family, but if you are traveling, please buckle up and buckle your children up, and don't drink and drive. Watch for deer and be extra cautious in bad weather.

Enjoy!

SADD Conference a Big Success!

108 students, advisors, and speakers attended the WV SADD Student Leadership Academy Conference held at Cedar Lakes in Ripley this past weekend.

Check out the WOWK news story and video here.

WVNS also had a news story and video posted Friday, November 14th here.

Here are some pictures from the Conference:

NHTSA Report: 21 Year Old Drinking Age Laws Have Prevented Almost 4,500 Deaths in Last Five Years

Motorcycle helmet use also increased, and it is estimated that over 7,500 lives have been saved.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a report last week detailing the benefits of a minimum 21 years of age drinking law, and the increase in motocycle helmet use.

The full report can be found here.

The Governor's Highway Safety Association (GHSA), has two reports to add to this one. The first in regarding the need for the minimum 21 years of age drinking law, and can be found here.

The second is about motorcycle safety, and can be found here.

WV Govenor Joe Manchin Features Child Passenger Safety in Weekly Column

Governor Joe Manchin focused on child passenger safety for his weekly column last week:

Oct. 31, 2008

Now is a Good Time to Check Your Child Safety Seats

From The Governor’s Desk: A weekly column by Gov. Joe Manchin

Contact: Matt Turner, 304-558-2000

This week’s cold snap probably persuaded a lot of us to head to our attics and closets to unpack our winter clothing and get geared up for colder weather in the coming months. While you’re making those preparations, it’s also a good time to think about driving in winter weather, which means extra caution behind the wheel.

West Virginians have done a great job of buckling up. Earlier this year, we received a $5 million federal grant for the Governor’s Highway Safety Program for the state’s “elite” seatbelt usage level. West Virginia was one of only five states to achieve that high of a level of seat belt usage among its residents. But there’s another area that’s even more critical, particularly as roads become more treacherous, and that’s properly buckling up our children first.

West Virginia state law requires that all children up to 8 years old be properly secured in a federally approved child safety seat, unless the child reaches 4 feet 9 inches tall before their 8th birthday. The day they turn 8, a seat belt becomes legally sufficient.

Parents and caregivers need to take the law seriously and not only follow the law, but take the proper steps to make sure that all children are safely secured on every trip. According to the National Highway Administration (NHTSA), car seats are 71 percent effective in reducing infant deaths and 54 percent effective in reducing deaths for children 1 to 4 years old. Seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent.

One of the biggest gaps in occupant protection has always been for children ages 4 through 7, when many convertible car seats are too small, but seat belts do not yet fit them properly. To bridge the gap, many states, including West Virginia, have upgraded their child passenger safety laws to require the use of booster seats once the conventional car seats have been outgrown, up to 8 years old. According to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, children ages 4 to 7 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seat belt.

Once a child reaches the age of 8, or grows to 4 feet 9 inches tall, just wearing a seat belt is legal, but may not be the safest restraint without the continued use of a booster seat. To determine whether your child is ready to move out of a booster, have your child sit up against the back of the vehicle seat. The knees should bend comfortably over the seat, the lap belt should lie across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belt should fit across the chest. If the lap belt rides up on the abdomen, or the shoulder belt digs into the child’s neck, a booster seat is still recommended.
Please remember to protect your children by using child safety seats, booster seats, and seat belts. And always buckle up yourself. You will set a good example for your children, and it may save your life, too!

For more information, or to have your child safety seat installation tested, contact the Governor’s Highway Safety Program at 304-558-6080.

# # #

WVNS TV in Beckley also featured Child Passenger Safety and the Governor's Column. The story and video can be found here.

MADD West Virginia Chapter to Kick Off "Tie One on For Safety" Observance Period on November 17th

MADD West Virginia will be at the Governor's Mansion on November 17th from 3:00pm to 4:30 pm to kick off the "Tie One on For Safety" observance period. TOOFS is observed during the holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, and individuals are encouraged to tie a red ribbon in visible locations to remind everyone to drive sober this holiday season.

A Gubernatorial proclamation will be presented during the reception and First Lady Gayle Manchin is expected to be in attendance.

MADD is joining with the Governor's Highway Safety Program, the WV Commission on Drunk Driving Prevention, law enforcement, and other highway safety advocates to promote drunk driving prevention this holiday season.

For more information, or to RSVP for this event, please contact Donna Hawkins at 304-776-0222 or 800-776-0635.

Four Day Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification Class This Week in Bluefield

21 child passenger safety technician candidates are attending the certification class in Bluefield this week, October 21-24. Certification classes are generally three full days and one half day, and include lecture, hands-on skills assessments, and quizzes, with a car seat check up event held the last day. Classes are $60 for enrollment, and certification is good for two years before the need to re-certify.

Child passenger safety technicians are needed all across the state! Currently, there are over 150 certified in the state, and eight instructors. Certified technicians participate in local seat check events, like those held across the state on Seat Check Saturday, and many go on to have their own permanent "fitting stations", like Beckley Fire Department every Tuesday between 9am and 11:30am by appointment.

To register for a child passenger safety technician class, call the Highway Safety Office at 304-558-6080. More information can be found on technician certification by going to the Safe Kids website at http://www.safekids.org/.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters Announces New Federal School Bus Rules

School buses are statistically the safest mode of transportation on America's roadways today. Large school buses benefit from compartmentalization, which can be compared to eggs in an egg carton. In a large school bus, those weighing more than 10,000 pounds, the seats are narrowly spaced, padded, and have 20 inch high seat backs. In small school buses, those weighing less than 10,000 pounds, lap belts are required. Additionally, school buses are conspicuous and they follow the same routes every day at the same times.

Today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced the changes in federal rule to make school buses even safer. You can find the article here. States will now have an option of whether or not they would like to have seat belts on larger buses. The padded seats will now be required to be 24 inches high, instead of just 20. Small buses will also be required to have lap and shoulder belts in them.

People are certain to have mixed emotions on the large school buses. Without seat belts, the large buses are still extremely safe, but, of course, every life is precious and even the small amount of fatalities linked to school bus crashes is too many. On the flip side, sometimes retro-fitting large buses with belts reduces the capacity of children the bus is able to transport. This would mean more children would be walking to school or riding in their own personal vehicles, which would not be as safe as being on the bus. So, the federal government is giving states the ability/authority to discern their needs as far as belts on large buses.

National School Bus Safety Week to Encourage Stop Arm Compliance

National School Bus Safety Week will be October 20th through the 24th this year, and the theme is "Stop on Red, Kids Ahead".

According to Ben Shew, Executive Director of the Office of School Transportation, "Motorists not stopping for school buses at bus stops is a major problem throughout this state and the nation".

A poster contest is held every year for WV students to participate in, and the theme of the this year's poster contest is, "Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm". Poster winners will be announced next week.

NHTSA offers suggestions on combating the illegal passing of school buses. You can find their best practice guide here.

More information on statewide events will be posted as soon as available.

State Farm Says Deer Collisions Most Likely on WV Roads

According to a study done by State Farm Insurance, WV ranks #1 in deer-vehicle collisions. On WV roadways, you have a 1 in 45 percent chance of hitting a down, up from 1 in 57 last year. October, November, and December are usually the worst months for this type of collision.

Ths USDA Forest Service offers these tips on their website:

Defensive Driving Tips to avoid hitting a deer

Keep a close watch for deer at dawn and dusk. Deer are most active during these times.

Be especially alert and drive with caution. Be on the lookout for deer crossing signs and slow down.

Be aware of your surroundings, just because you don’t see a deer crossing sign posted, it doesn’t mean deer won’t unexpectedly appear.

Flash your lights or honk your horn to frighten deer away from the side of the road.

When you encounter deer along the roadside, turn on your emergency lights to let other motorists know about the potential danger.

Use your high-beam headlights when there is no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer and provide greater driver reaction time.

Upon seeing a deer, immediately slow down. Do not swerve - because this can confuse deer as to where to run. It could also cause you to lose control and hit a tree or another car.

If you can’t avoid the accident, then just hit the deer while maintaining control of your vehicle. Some experts say that if such a collision is inevitable, you should avoid braking at impact so that the deer may pass underneath your car as opposed to hitting the windshield.

Look for other deer after one has crossed the road. Deer commonly travel in groups, so the probability is high that other deer will be in front of or behind the one you’ve seen.

Don’t rely on hood-mounted deer whistles and other devices to scare away deer.

Always wear your seatbelt. Most people injured and/or killed in deer - automobile collisions were not wearing their seat belt.

Finally, remember to ... SLOW DOWN FOR WILDLIFE!

What to do when you strike a deer

If you are unable to avoid a collision with a deer, take the following steps:

Do not touch the animal! The deer, in attempting to move or get away, could hurt you or itself.

Remove your automobile from the roadway, if possible.

Call the police.

Halloween Planner out for Impaired Driving Initiatives

Switching topics to impaired driving, I'll address the first poll which was regarding the legal limit of Blood Alcohol Concetration(BAC) when driving. West Virginia's limit is .08, though drivers under the age of 21 have an even lower limit of .02, which essentially means they cannot have any mesaurable amount of alcohol in their systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also put its Halloween Planner up on the web at www.stopimpaireddriving.org, and a link to the planner is here. For anyone wishing to adovcate highway safety during Halloween, this is a perfect resource for ideas and information, especially with regard to impaired driving. Halloween falls on a Friday this year, so we need to spread the word that law enforcement will be cracking down on impaired drivers over the holiday weekend.

Ford Announces Plans to Curb Teen Speeding, Improve Safety

MyKey device on many 2010 models will not allow driver to go beyond 80 mph.

Ford Motor Company has unveiled its newest safety feature-a computer chip in the vehicle key that will allow parents to set a speed limit on their child's driving. You can find the full article on Ford's web site here.

MyKey also gives a persistent seat belt reminder if seat belts are not fastened, and mutes the volume on the radio until the driver buckles up.

Parents can limit the vehicle's audio volume as well with MyKey, and program reminder chimes at 45, 55 or 65 mph intervals.

What do you think? In theory, I think this is a great idea, but I do wonder about certain situations where you might need to exceed 80 mph (or 50, 60, or 70), especially to avoid a crash. Comments? Thoughts?

DMV to Require all License Renewal Applicants to Pass Vision Screening

UPDATE 10/8--This was in the Charleston Gazette online this morning, and I heard it on the radio as well-it will be interesting to see people's reactions-the feedback I've heard so far has almost been that of incredulousness that vision screening was not already a standard. Certainly the new standard is a step forward for safety.

The WV DMV issued a press release today about the change in process to renew your driver's license. Starting January 2, 2009, a vision screening will be required before license renewals will be issued. An applicant must be able to see at a level of 20/40 in the best eye, the same standard required of an applicant for a first driver's license. I am very much for this change in process, especially since it reflects a safety issue.

According to the press release, "West Virginia is now one of more than forty states to require mandatory vision screening at the time of driver’s license renewal for safety reasons. Good vision is an essential part of safe driving. It is important to see an eye care professional as soon as possible if there are any doubts about vision before coming to the DMV to avoid any possible delays in processing a driver’s license renewal."

The vision screening will be the same given for a first driver's license; however, if someone is uncomfortable about being screened at the DMV, they may bring a completed vision report form (DMV- DLAB 2), signed by a licensed optometrist, and dated less than 90 days from the application date.

For more information, contact the DMV at 1-800-642-9066.

Highway Safety Events this Weekend

Several Highway Safety events are happening around the state this weekend!

Melissa Taylor and I will be joining certified CPS technicians from CAMC at the Teddy Bear Fair at Women and Children's Hospital this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you know anyone that needs their car seats checked, send them our direction!

The National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Clubs will be in Charleston Saturday morning, meeting with Governor Manchin at 8 a.m., and then heading to the Clay Center in the afternoon and Simpson Memorial United Methodist at 6 p.m. For more details, see the article in the Charleston Gazette. Joe Tyree will be participating in this event and representing Highway Safety.

Paul Blume will be down in Beckley Saturday Night for the "Chili Night" with an informational booth/display set up. More details can be found here.

Avoiding the Brain Bucket-US DOT Proposes New Helmet Rules

Switching gears, let's take a look at motorcycle safety and helmets.

This past Monday, US DOT Secretary Mary Peters proposed new safety rules for motorcycle helmets. You can find the press release here.

Our motorcycle safety coordinator, Joe Tyree, has mentioned on several occasions that many riders today are still wearing novelty helmets-ones that are not DOT certified, also known as "brain buckets". Isn't that awful? Anyways, its a known fact that helmets offer a great deal of protection in a crash and can reduce the risk of serious injury and fatality, but if the helmet is not DOT certified, it may not offer the same protection-thus the gruesome nickname.

The new rules would make manufacturers place more tamper-resistant labels on their helmets, thus making it harder for vendors to remove them off of good helmets to stick them on the novelty ones.

The proposed rules would also make the testing done to helmets more stringent. The improved labeling and testing system should give consumers more confidence that they are buying a safe helmet.

Because Joe is out of the office this week, our fearless leader, Bob Tipton, graciously modeled approved and unapproved helmets for this blog so you could see the difference.

Novelty helmet-he looks ready for the road now, doesn't he?

DOT Approved helmet-See the big DOT logo? The bad thing is, some novelty vendors will actually remove the stickers from approved helmets, and place them on helmets like the one in the first set of pictures.

Any motorcycle enthusiasts out there? What are your thoughts on the proposed new rules, or on helmets, period?

Remember: Something is better than nothing!

Staying with car seats for one more day, the Charleston Gazette today published a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on the safety belt fit of 41 booster seats. You can find the report here.

Thirteen of the seats they evaluated did not improve the fit of particularly the lap belt, ten were given "best bets" and five were given "good bets". My concern with this study is that parents will panic again, as they did when Consumer Reports issued bad recommendations for several models of infant seats, though they did eventually "recall" their report.

Its important to note that this study was for seat belt fit, and not performance in a crash. Although, in the world of highway safety, we say the two go hand-in-hand: proper belt fit equals better "ride down" protection in a crash.

Key things to look for regardless of which make/model booster seat you have:
1. proper fit-lap belt on upper thighs, NOT abdomen, and shoulder belt at mid shoulder.
2. adequate head/neck protection-backless boosters are popular, and approved, as long as the vehicle seat that the booster is sitting on has some sort of head restraint-whether adjustable or built into the seat.

Insurance Institute president Adrien Lund offers this final piece of advice, which I wholeheartedly agree with: “No matter how a booster did in our evaluations, parents still need to see how it fits their child in their car,” Lund advises. He urges them “not to rush to buy a new booster if theirs isn’t among the top seats. Check how it fits and remember, it’s better for children to ride restrained in any booster than to let them ride unbuckled.”

Again, something is better than nothing, but we always strive for the best fit for each child on every trip, every time. If you would like to have your seat checked to make sure of proper fit, please don't hesitate to contact the Highway Safety Office at 304-558-6080. Or, to find a certified technician in your area, click here.

Next blog entry, I promise, something other than car seats!

National Child Passenger Safety Week a Big Success in West Virginia

You'll have to forgive me, but since I am writing the blog, I get to choose what's first! I mean, as long as it's OK with the boss:-)

So to kick this blog off, I'll start with one of the subjects nearest and dearest to me (cuts and bruises from installations aside).

National Child Passenger Safety Week was moved from February to September, a move celebrated by many for two obvious reasons: (1) back to school=kids=safety talks and (2) car seat checks are generally more well-received and attended in warmer weather. Makes sense, right?

On Saturday, September 20th, eight car seat checks were held across the state in coordination with National Seat Check Saturday. Two were held in Charleston, and I attended the one at Kohl's at Southridge, which was a combination bounty program/car seat check. What is a bounty program, you ask? A bounty program is where old, recalled, or secondhand seats are brought to a central location in exchange for some "bounty". On this particular day, it was $5 Kohl's gift cards and $10 Gander Mountain gift cards.

The event was a big success! We stayed busy throughout the entire 4+ hours, with 6 CPS technicians on hand checking seats. 46 seats were checked, 20 seats replaced, and between 30 and 40 seats ended up in our bounty pile. This one was from 1987.



That's Chris Walls, from Warner Law Offices holding the seat with me. They were on hand to offer the Gander Mountain cards, and promote Warner Law Offices' commitment to children through their booster seat program.




Kohl's and the CAMC Foundation were the main sponsoring partners of this event, supplying the car seats and materials, as well as the $5 Kohl's gift cards. CAMC Foundation's Community Movers, a group of young professionals in the Charleston area dedicated to supporting the Foundation's programs, were also at the event to ensure the event ran smoothly.